Seether is a rock band from South Africa and even though they've been together for a few years, I just heard their single "Fake It" a couple of days ago. It's got a great lyrics like:
"Who’s to know if your soul will fade at all
The one you sold to fool the world
You lost your self-esteem along the way"
Are they sure they don't live in LA now? Those lyrics seem tailor made for this city!
But even more than the song, the "Fake It" video cracks me up, especially the part halfway through where the video director is teaching the model exactly how he wants her to shake her rear into the camera. It just shows how ridiculous rap and r&b videos are these days:
Billy Idol is one of those artists that probably shouldn't still be alive. But, despite ingesting massive amounts of drugs over the years, he is still around and looking as slim as ever. Unbelievably, this poster child for sex, drugs and rock-n-roll's about to be 52 in a couple of weeks.
I loved his whole look when I was a teenager: the classic sneer, the bleached out spiky hair, the leather. If I could have been a female version of this look, I would have in a heartbeat.
The music wasn't half bad either. Who didn't love rocking out to tunes like "White Wedding" and "Dancing With Myself"? I was certainly part of the crowd who loved those tracks. But, my favorite Billy Idol song hands down is "Eyes Without a Face".
My favorite lyrics come from the second verse where a seemingly heartbroken Billy sings:
"I spend so much time
Believing all the lies
To keep the dream alive
Now it makes me sad
It makes me mad at truth
For loving what was you"
For some reason I've been listening to this for the past two days, the haunting synths, the emotion coming through his voice. Yeah, this song stands the test of time. I bet it could be played on radio today and still be a huge hit.
" Life, will flash before my eyes
So scattered and lost
I want to touch the other side
And no one thinks they are to blame
Why can't we see
When we bleed, we bleed the same"
And that's why my obsessive song of the week is Muse's "Map of the Problematique".
If you don't know about Muse, well... they're very talented British alt rockers. They sing about social change, conspiracy theories and, um, aliens. And folks consistently say they're one of the best live acts out there right now. I get to do a little investigative reporting on the veracity of that statement when I go see them in September.
In the meantime, I'll keep enjoying this live clip of Muse performing "Map of the Problematique":
My AFI love continues unabated due to their live concert dvd, I Heard A Voice.
The actual concert was filmed at the Long Beach Arena last fall. I wanted to go to the show but I was a little worried I'd get smashed in a mosh pit or something.
Thankfully, I got the dvd as a birthday present so I can now watch the show from the relative safety of my living room. I've been watching parts of it every day for the past week.
To see why, you can watch the live performance of "Silver and Cold" from I Heard A Voice here. If you think you're going to have a hard time getting past AFI's tattoos, the theatrical makeup and the hair dye, just remember, both Little Richard and Prince wear make-up and James Brown straightened the heck out of his hair and wore a cape on stage.
"Silver and Cold" is one of my favorite AFI songs anyway, but this live version of the song really sucks me in every time I hear it, especially when everyone sings the chorus:
As a rapturous voice escapes I will tremble a prayer and I'll beg for forgiveness.
Your sins into me, Your sins into me oh, my beautiful one.
I dubbed the audio of the entire concert onto cd so I can listen to this version of "Silver and Cold" anytime I want to. You may not want to watch the entire dvd, but go ahead, give this clip a listen.